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Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare disclosed that a suspected measles outbreak has killed at least 98 children in the past three weeks, prompting an urgent escalation of vaccination efforts in Dhaka’s hardest‑hit districts.Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ordered two senior ministers to tour the nation’s 170 million residents, assess the crisis’s scale, and coordinate a rapid response.Official data released on Sunday show that 6,476 children aged six months to five years exhibited measles‑like symptoms, while 826 cases have been laboratory‑confirmed with 16 confirmed deaths. Health officials note that many cases go untested, meaning the true toll could be higher.According to Halimur Rashid, director of Communicable Disease Control, “Compared with past years, the number of affected children is higher, and the death toll is higher too.” He attributes the surge to multifactorial causes, including a shortage of vaccines.World Health Organization (WHO) records indicate the highest number of suspected measles cases in Bangladesh was 25,934 in 2005. After a long decline, this year’s figures represent a stark reversal.Measles remains one of the world’s most contagious diseases, spreading through coughs and sneezes. While it can affect any age group, children under five are most vulnerable to severe complications such as brain swelling and respiratory failure. WHO estimates up to 95,000 measles deaths globally each year, primarily among unvaccinated or under‑vaccinated children.Bangladesh has previously achieved notable progress in immunisation, yet a scheduled measles‑vaccination drive for June 2024 was postponed after a violent uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Consequently, many children—some as young as six months—missed the routine nine‑month vaccine dose.Mahmudur Rahman, chief of the National Verification Committee of Measles and Rubella, acknowledged the missed target of eliminating measles deaths by December 2025, citing “poor vaccination programmes.”In response, Dhaka has identified 30 districts with the highest case numbers and launched an emergency vaccination campaign. Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul pledged that the drive will first cover the “worst affected areas” before expanding nationwide.Public‑health expert Tajul Islam A Bari, a former official of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, warned that although funds were allocated for vaccine procurement, the government failed to secure the doses, leading to the current “scary” situation.With no specific treatment for measles once contracted, the focus remains on accelerating vaccine delivery, improving surveillance, and preventing further loss of young lives.

In a stark assessment, journalist Christopher Gunness contends that Israel's recent offensive against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is not an isolated incident but a central element of a larger campaign he characterizes as a genocide of the Palestinian people.Gunness emphasizes that UNRWA, which provides critical education, health, and food assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees, has become a strategic target. By undermining the agency’s operations, Israel, he argues, seeks to erode the humanitarian lifeline that sustains Palestinian communities, thereby intensifying the humanitarian crisis.The analysis links the attack on UNRWA to broader patterns of violence and displacement, suggesting that the move escalates the conflict beyond conventional warfare into actions that could meet the legal definition of genocide under international law. Such allegations carry profound implications for global diplomatic responses and potential accountability mechanisms.While the piece does not present new statistical data, it underscores the symbolic and practical significance of UNRWA’s role, urging the international community to recognize the attack as a pivotal escalation in the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict.

A psychiatric hospital in Tehran has been rendered unusable following a US-Israeli airstrike, according to reports. The strike, which occurred on an unspecified date, has had significant humanitarian implications, affecting the medical infrastructure in the region.The hospital, a critical facility for mental health care, has been impacted by the conflict, raising concerns about the welfare of patients and the availability of medical services. The incident underscores the broader humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region due to ongoing hostilities.The airstrike is part of a larger pattern of escalating tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran, with various incidents and retaliations contributing to the volatile situation. The effects of such actions on civilian infrastructure and populations continue to be a subject of international concern.

Israeli forces have launched a series of attacks on southern Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of at least two children and injuring 40 people, according to Lebanese health officials. The Ministry of Public Health reported that an Israeli strike on Habbush killed two girls and wounded 22 people on Saturday. In a separate incident, an attack on al-Hawsh near Tyre wounded 18 people, including a child, three women, and three paramedics. The strike also damaged a nearby major hospital, the Lebanese Italian Hospital, which despite the damage, will remain open to provide necessary medical care. The violence escalated as Israeli forces continued their ground invasion, blowing up houses in several southern front-line villages and towns, including Aita al-Shaab and Ramyah, and bombing bridges linking Samar with Mashghara, claiming they were being used by Hezbollah. The bombing of bridges and civilian infrastructure across southern Lebanon has been widely condemned, with rights groups warning that Israel appears to be trying to isolate the region. At least 1,368 people have been killed in Lebanon and 4,138 wounded in these attacks, which have also displaced more than one million people. Despite the continued offensive, experts believe that Israel is unlikely to achieve its stated goal of disarming Hezbollah. Hezbollah maintains depth in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, and even if Israel manages to push the group out of these areas, it would not necessarily mean that it would have eliminated Hezbollah entirely.

The conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel has taken a severe turn with a series of coordinated attacks on Iranian universities and infrastructure. A research center at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran was recently bombed, leaving it in ruins. This attack is part of a larger pattern of civilian sites being targeted by the US and Israel. Over 30 universities have been impacted since the start of the war on February 28, according to Hossein Simaei Saraf, the Iranian minister of science, research, and technology. The attacks have not only damaged educational facilities but also research centers, including those working on domestically made satellites and infectious diseases. The Pasteur Institute in Tehran, a renowned center for vaccine development and biological products, was also attacked, sustaining significant damage and disrupting health services. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the damage and noted that no casualties were reported. In addition to educational and healthcare facilities, over 20 healthcare facilities have been targeted since March 1, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The attacks have also affected schools, houses, and businesses, resulting in over 2,000 deaths and widespread destruction. The economic sector has not been spared, with petrochemical and steel factories being destroyed in recent bombardments. The US and Israel have also targeted critical infrastructure, including power plants and water desalination plants, which are civilian targets protected under international law. The Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have vowed to retaliate and escalate attacks across the region. The situation has drawn international condemnation, with over 100 US legal experts expressing concerns about potential war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.

A projected ocean backdrop bathed the Hollywood High School auditorium in sunset hues as Mitski opened her five‑night residency, delivering a performance of “Dead Women” from her latest album Nothing’s About to Happen to Me. The stage, arranged like a cozy living room with a writing desk, chaise lounge and warm lamps, amplified the DIY‑style intimacy the artist sought.Addressing the crowd, Mitski quipped, “It’s dark in here – no one can see you. You can cry,” a line that resonated with the mixed‑age audience, prompting genuine emotional responses.The residency coincided with an innovative attendance challenge: students who maintained perfect attendance for two weeks were entered into a raffle for tickets. School staffer Michael Reagan called it “the most effective attendance drive in the district’s recent history.”Beyond the music, Mitski’s agreement to cover the venue’s rental fee will fund caps and gowns for graduating seniors, while she pledged to donate $2 from each ticket to a local youth‑focused music‑education nonprofit.The event attracted students from across Los Angeles and beyond. One senior, Sophia Barrios, traveled by train from the Central Valley after receiving tickets for her 18th birthday, praising Mitski’s genre‑spanning sound and personal lyrics. Fellow attendees echoed the sentiment, noting how the artist’s words gave voice to feelings they struggled to articulate.Former alumna Jessica Torres Vicente, now a therapist, described the experience as “a healthier dose of memory lane,” recalling the unchanged gold‑lettered welcome sign and vintage school‑production posters that still adorn the auditorium.Mitski’s decision to perform in a high‑school setting harks back to the venue’s history of hosting notable acts, such as Morrissey in 2013, and reflects her desire to recapture the raw connection of early‑career punk and DIY shows.The concert retained the hallmarks of a Mitski show—precise, balletic movement, immersive visuals, and a sound that enveloped the crowd—while the unique setting left an indelible impression. When she sang “Two Slow Dancers,” the audience shouted back, “Yes!” in unison, underscoring the shared intimacy of the night.

The deployment of reflective mirrors on satellites and the launch of thousands more satellites into low Earth orbit could have significant consequences for human health and ecosystems. Leading sleep and circadian rhythm researchers have raised concerns about the potential disruption to natural night-time light environments.The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering plans by Reflect Orbital to illuminate parts of the Earth at night using reflective satellites, as well as applications from SpaceX that could dramatically expand satellite numbers in low Earth orbit.2,500 researchers from over 30 countries have expressed concerns that altering the light-dark cycle could disrupt biological clocks that regulate sleep and hormone secretion in humans and animals, migration in nocturnal species, seasonal cycles in plants, and the rhythms of marine phytoplankton.Prof Charalambos Kyriacou, president of the European Biological Rhythms Society (EBRS), emphasized that "plants need the night" and that eliminating it could have global implications for food security.Reflect Orbital aims to use satellites equipped with large reflective mirrors to redirect sunlight onto areas roughly 5km to 6km wide "on demand", with brightness adjustable "from full moon to full noon".Meanwhile, SpaceX has proposed launching up to 1m satellites to create a giant solar-powered computing network in orbit designed to run artificial-intelligence workloads.Ruskin Hartley, chief executive of DarkSky International, noted that scientific studies have already shown that the existing number of satellites in orbit has increased diffuse night sky brightness by roughly 10%.Experts warn that if current trends in satellite launches and debris generation continue, night sky brightness could increase substantially over the coming decade, approaching the threshold astronomers have set for preserving naturally dark skies.

A devastating 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Friday, resulting in the tragic loss of eight lives from a single family in the Gosfand Dara area of Kabul province. The quake, which occurred at 8:42 pm local time (16:12 GMT), had its epicentre in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, approximately 290km (180 miles) northeast of Kabul.According to Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman, a two-year-old child was the sole survivor, sustaining injuries. The disaster management agency reported that the boy was hurt during the incident.The earthquake's impact was felt across multiple regions, including Kabul and the Indian capital, New Delhi. Tremors were also reported in Pakistan, including Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, and Shangla, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries.Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes due to its location along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. On average, 560 people are killed by quakes in the country every year. The deadliest recent tremor occurred last August, when a shallow magnitude 6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 2,200 people.The country's impoverished infrastructure often hampers disaster response efforts, particularly in remote areas where homes are typically built with bricks, wood, and mud, making them vulnerable to seismic activity.

The US labor market demonstrated unexpected strength in March, with the unemployment rate dropping to 4.3% despite concerns over economic instability and the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, non-farm payrolls grew by 178,000 jobs in March, rebounding from a downwardly revised loss of 133,000 jobs in February.The healthcare sector led the gains, adding 76,000 jobs in March, significantly higher than the 29,000 average monthly increase over the last year. This surge follows a large-scale nursing strike that ended on February 24, which had temporarily removed over 30,000 healthcare workers from payrolls.The construction sector also saw notable growth, with 26,000 jobs added in March. Additionally, the transportation and warehousing sector grew by 21,000 jobs over the previous month, although it has experienced an overall loss of 139,000 jobs since February 2025.In contrast, the federal government, the largest employer in the US, continued to shrink, cutting 18,000 federal employee positions in March. This marks a 355,000 job decline from the same period last year.The White House has praised the jobs report as evidence that President Trump's policies are stimulating the domestic economy. Kush Desai, White House deputy press secretary, stated that the March jobs report 'blew out expectations' with strong construction job growth and a surge in manufacturing job creation.However, experts warn that the impact of the US conflict with Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, is not yet fully reflected in the job numbers. Economists at JPMorgan cautioned that negative payroll readings could become more common, and Angela Hanks, chief of policy programmes at The Century Foundation, noted that wage growth has stalled, and oil prices are skyrocketing, threatening to weaken the job market.The economic uncertainty is also affecting US consumers, with the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey dropping by 6% in March to its lowest level since December 2025. Furthermore, the average price for a gallon of petrol has increased to $4.09 ($1.08 per litre), up from $3.10 ($0.82 per litre) this time last month.